Going Vegan and Protein

When you tell someone you have gone Vegan they may not say this but they sure think it "how do you get your protein?"  Once that thought races through their mind they move onto to how can you give up eating meat?  Don't you miss it? then finally Why did you go Vegan?

Many of us have been taught that the only way to get protein is from animals-- ah guys that is not true! Protein comes from many sources not just animal products.  Beans, Chickpeas or garbanzo beans, nuts and nut butter, green leafy vegetables, Sesame, Sunflower and Poppy Seeds, and Hemp and Chia Seeds. Other sources of protein are tofu, tempeh or seitan - since I am not a fan I don't normally use the last 3 products mentioned.

So what is the big deal about protein?  Protein is needed to do many things in our body especially building and repairing tissue.  If your trying to lose weight and are reducing your calorie intake protein will aid in forcing your body to preserve muscle and burn fat.  The recommended daily allowance of protein for women is 46g.  It is possible to be Vegan and get those 46g of protein daily.

Isn't it nice to live in a world full of people with ideas and opinions?  Sometimes yes and Sometimes no! If you know me,  once I am in it - it's all the way baby and fueling my body is no different.  I have heard "your not going to get enough protein" "this is a fad" "do you think it will last".  Yes my protein is sufficient, no this is not a fad, and honestly time will tell if it last.  Going Vegan was a very thought out decision and a lot of time and education went into my decision.

There are resources galore out there on how to lose weight, how to reduce blood pressure, how to reverse diabetes, how to lower cholesterol, if you have a "how to" question trust me there are several answers out there for you!

I like to keep things simple - Dr Mark Hyman - The Ultra Simple Diet & The Blood Sugar Solution, Dr. Mercola, John Gabriel - The Gabriel Code,  Jason Vale - Juice Master, Drew Canole - FitLifeTV,  Reboot with Joe, Hungry for Change, Engine2 Diet - Rip Esselystyn, The End of Diabetes - Joel Fuhrman, Forks Over Knives - T. Colin Campbell PHD, and Caldwell B. Esselystyn Jr.  MD,  The China Study - T Colin Campbell.  Well all of that is anything but simple.  So much information, so much reading, so much trial and error.

It is a process and does not happen over night.  There really is no secret pill its all about finding what is going to suit your lifestyle and work for you.  After watching Forks Over Knives about 6 times (it is a process) then came reading The China Study - the data from the China Study was cited in the Forks Over Knives documentary over and over again.  So my decision to go Vegan was for health reasons.  You see knowledge is powerful.  Once I had the knowledge I set out to do an experiment on myself.  Yes, I am the lab rat and my study consist of removing all animal protein from my diet to see if it lowers my cholesterol.  Time will tell its been 5 months now and at the end of February 2014, I will get my blood work! We shall see - if my cholesterol is significantly lowered - if it is then the hypothesis of "removing animal protein from you diet will lower your cholesterol" will be confirmed.

                 Happy Eating! MaMa Linda